Veteran saves dozens of lives during Orlando shooting

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A Marine veteran is being hailed as a hero after helping dozens of people escape during the terror attack at an Orlando nightclub.

According to CBS News, Imran Yousuf, who served in Afghanistan, was working as a bouncer at Pulse nightclub when gunman Omar Mateen opened fire early Sunday morning.

Yousuf immediately recognized the sound of a high caliber weapon and his training kicked in.

“Everyone froze. I’m here in the back and I saw people start pouring into the back hallway, and they just sardine pack everyone,” Yousuf told CBS News.

He knew that just beyond the packed crowd was a door to safety.

“And I’m screaming ‘Open the door! Open the door!’ And no one is moving because they are scared,” he explained. “There was only one choice. Either we all stay there and we all die, or I could take the chance, and I jumped over to open that latch a we got everyone that we can out of there.”

He estimated that 60 or 70 people ran out the door, escaping the nightclub.

“I wish I could have saved more to be honest,” Yousuf said, fighting back tears. “There are a lot of people that are dead… there’s a lot of people that are dead.”